Amazon to build Robotics Innovation Hub at former AstraZeneca site in Westborough

Jeff Malachowski Daily News Staff @JMalachowskiMW

Wednesday

Nov 6, 2019 at 9:03 AMNov 7, 2019 at 3:19 PM

The more will create 200 new jobs and fill what Westborough officials called a signature property in town.

WESTBOROUGH – The site of a long-vacant drug manufacturing plant on Otis Street is getting a new life.

Amazon.com Inc. announced plans on Wednesday to construct a $40 million Amazon Robotics Innovation Hub at the former AstraZeneca site at 50 Otis St. and bring 200 new jobs to town. The 350,000-square-foot facility will be in addition to the Amazon Robotics facility in North Reading that will together serve as the e-commerce giant’s epicenter of robotics innovation.

“We are going to completely re-do that site,” said Tye Brady, Amazon Robotics chief technologist, in a phone interview with the Daily News. “I can guarantee it’s going to be a world-class, state-of-the-art facility.”

The innovation hub will feature corporate offices, research and development labs and manufacturing space. The new location will allow Amazon Robotics to grow its engineering, manufacturing, support and test teams in the state. Crews will design, build, program and ship robots all under the same roof that will improve delivery speeds for customers around the world, said Brady.

“We’re doubling down on our manufacturing capability,” Brady said.

The hub is slated to open in 2021.

Amazon, which also has a small office in Westborough, was attracted to the area due to its proximity to major highways, including the Mass Pike and Interstate 495, and the commuter rail. The Westborough commuter rail station is less than a mile from the coming robotics building.

The state's booming high-tech workforce is also appealing.

“There’s a breadth of talent we have here in Massachusetts,” said Brady. "We live in the hub of the robotics universe."

Amazon has created more than 4,000 full-time jobs in Massachusetts and has invested more than $3 billion in the state, including infrastructure and compensation to employees since 2011.

Gov. Charlie Baker praised the company for its commitment to the Bay State.

“Massachusetts is home to a nation-leading innovation economy with a highly educated and skilled workforce, and we are proud of the life-changing research and high quality of life that attracts leading companies to invest and grow here,” Baker said in a press release. “We are pleased that Amazon plans to increase their substantial presence with a state-of-the-art robotics facility, creating 200 new jobs and employing over 4,000 skilled workers throughout the Commonwealth, furthering its continued investment in the state’s economic growth and development.”

The Otis Street site has been vacant since AstraZeneca moved out three years ago. The property features a three-story glass pyramid. Westborough Selectmen Chairman Ian Johnson called the site a signature property and is thrilled it will soon be filled.

“It’s a testament to the community,” he said.

Restaurants, hotels and shops across town and the region are expected to benefit as well.

“It’s great news all around,” Johnson said. “The whole MetroWest area will benefit from that.”

Johnson hopes Amazon’s decision to move to Westborough will attract other major companies in the future.

The space will be developed by Atlantic Management of Framingham. President Joe Zink could not be reached for comment Wednesday. Atlantic Management purchased the 66-acre property for $6.5 million in 2017.

In just 25 years, Amazon has become an online retailing behemoth. Among other things, it manufactures and sells electronic devices, including Kindle e-readers, Fire tablets, Fire TVs and Echo devices. It reported sales of nearly $233 billion last year - more than double its total from just three years earlier.

The company employs nearly 750,000 people worldwide.

Jeff Malachowski can be reached at 508-490-7466 or jmalachowski@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @JmalachowskiMW.